Sunday 24 August 2014

My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster - Book Review

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140227033X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=140227033X&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=PVLE5755B4DRFMZR
From the Blurb:

In the mist-shrouded streets of a steam-fueled London, a clockwork army is on the rise, vampire blue bloods rule the streets, and war is brewing...

I Will Come For You...


He will find her no matter what. As a blue-blooded captain of the Nighthawk Guard, his senses are keener than most. Some think he's indestructible. But once he finds the elusive Mercury, what will he do with her?

It's his duty to turn her in—she's a notorious spy and traitor. But after one stolen moment, he can't forget the feel of her in his arms, the taste of her, or the sharp sting of betrayal as she slipped off into the night. Little does Mercury know, no one hunts better than the Nighthawk. And his greatest revenge will be to leave her begging for his touch...

Note:

This is the 3rd book in the London Steampunk Series. It can be read as a standalone, but do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. While each book in this series has its own protagonists and independent HEAs, there is an overarching political/intrigue plot building through the series that you don't want to skip over. Start at the beginning. For your happiness. Trust me.

You can find my reviews of Book 1 - Kiss of Steel here and Book 2 - Heart of Iron here.

That said, there are no serious spoilers for the previous books in this review. Read on, my lovelies!

The Review:

Rosalind is desperate to find her brother, so she goes undercover as a secretary to the leader of the Nighthawks, Jasper Lynch, to get some answers. The not so mild mannered secretary is only one of Rosalind's disguises, though, as she also spends her nights as Mercury, leader of a rebel group, bent on destroying the city's governing class, the Echelon. Lynch is a symbol for everything Rosalind despises in that world, and worse than that, he's the man sworn to capture Mercury and bring her to justice. It's a little inconvenient, therefore, when they want nothing more than to tear each others' clothes off, one button at a time.

Rosalind and Lynch's story pulls us away from Blade's gang - that curious family we've come to love in Kiss of Steel, Heart of Iron and Tarnished Knight (a novella which takes place between the first two books and which I've just realized I haven't reviewed yet... anyway, it's awesome). I admit, I was a little sad to step outside of Whitechapel and away from my dear old friends, but thankfully we get to make new friends in My Lady Quicksilver, and it was great to get a peek into another side of this world. I now also love the Nighthawks gang as much as I had loved Blade's rag-tag group and, joy of joys, we still get a few visits from lovely Leo Barrons who is destined to be the hero of Book 5, Of Silk and Steam, and who I am possibly (definitely) already in love with.

Lynch is the head of the Nighthawks, a rogue blue blood who is known for his deadly prowess. Despite what Rosalind believes, his moral compass is fairly steadfast. However, he struggles to balance his values with the orders he receives from the Echelon and his desire for the traitorous Mercury. He has a dark and dangerous side, but he would do anything to protect the people he cares about, his fellow Nighthawks, Garrett and Perry, and even the masked woman he's supposed to be capturing.

Rosalind is a really interesting heroine. She has more back story than the previous heroines of this series (which says a lot, since they've all been particularly detailed characters). She has a very traumatic past, having been forced to train as an assassin and having lost her hand and her husband to her captor. She turned her focus to the Humanist cause against the Echelon, but now she just wants to find her missing brother. Given all this detail, I could have read an entire series from her perspective. Though I do prefer the structure of this series, with one couple and HEA per book, I'm really just greedy for more Rosalind. I found her completely fascinating - caught up in her own deceptions and lost between her multitude of identities. Though Heart of Iron remains my favorite book in this series, Rosalind now ranks as my favorite heroine.

As in the previous novels, the passion and steam in My Lady Quicksilver is pretty off the charts. The storylines, with Lynch falling in love with two versions of Rosalind, the wild rebel and the naughty secretary, as well as Rosalind's torment over falling for the man she knows she should despise, certainly add to the heat levels. This story is sexy as hell. Pull out your fans, ladies!

As I've come to expect from the London Steampunk series, the world building in My Lady Quicksilver is flawless. I'm not certain how it would read if you began the series here - I suspect it might be a slight culture shock - but for previous readers of the series, Bec McMaster continues to add wonderful detail to this already colorful world.

The London Steampunk series is a must read for anyone who enjoys steampunk, paranormal romance, smoking hot heroes and heroines who kick ass.

My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster was released by Sourcebooks Casablanca on October 1, 2013.

Find this book at: Amazon | Book Depository | The Publisher | Goodreads

My Lady Quicksilver is currently ON SALE on Amazon for $2.99.

Also, Book 3.5, The Curious Case Of The Clockwork Menace, is currently FREE on Smashwords! (I'll be sharing my review of this and Book 4, Forged by Desire, both of which follow Garrett and Perry, soon! Spoiler alert: I LOVE THEM.)